Technologies

Max Streaming Service: 6 of Your Top Questions Answered

We don’t know it all, but here are the basics on when, what and how much.

Warner Bros. Discovery revealed on Wednesday that Max is the name of its rebranded streaming service, which will house merged content from HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Along with the new name comes a new tagline: The One to Watch.

The company is touting a larger library and a better user interface, but you may have some basic questions about how all these changes will affect your existing account. And newcomers may be curious about what’s up with Max and what the service has to offer. Here are answers to some of your questions.

When will Max roll out in my country?

US customers will have access to Max on May 23. Users in Latin America will see the rollout in fall 2023, with certain Europe and Asia markets receiving Max access in early to mid 2024.

Once the service launches, it will automatically upgrade with the new Max logo, interface and features. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, existing subscribers will see their profiles, billing information and watch lists seamlessly transfer to the updated version and they’ll only have to open the app to use the platform. However, the company said some users will be prompted to download the new version of the streaming app.

New Max customers can either sign up for HBO Max now, or wait to subscribe to the new service on May 23 to start streaming instantly.

Subscribe to HBO Max

See at HBO Max

How much will Max cost?

The price will remain the same as current HBO Max subscriptions, but there’s one new premium plan that will cost more than the standard two options. Max Ad-Lite will cost $10 per month and come with HD and two streams, while ad-free Max is priced at $16 monthly for HD, two streams and 30 downloads.

When the new service arrives in May, there will also be a $20-per-month Ultimate Plan, which offers four concurrent streams, 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos sound and 100 downloads. This is a change, as HBO Max currently offers three streams for both plans with the ability to watch some titles in 4K Ultra HD. Yes, you’ll have to pay more for 4K, but some existing HBO Max features will still be available for up to six months after Max’s launch.

Note that Discovery Plus will continue to be a standalone streaming option. It’s currently priced at $5 a month for the ad-supported plan and $7 per month without ads.

What TV shows and movies will be on Max?

Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming offering will bring together content from HBO Max and Discovery Plus. Max will have HBO originals, Warner Bros. movies, Max originals, DC Comics and Harry Potter alongside programming from brands including Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC and ID. The entire HBO Max library will be found on Max.

At its Wednesday press conference, Warner Bros. Discovery highlighted a range of new titles that’ll be hitting the freshly rebranded streaming service. In addition to DC drama The Penguin, subscribers will have access to spinoffs of familiar franchises like The Conjuring, The Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. New shows coming to the streamer range from a limited series starring Kate Winslet to a Barbie-themed home renovation competition series, and from a thriller based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel to a dating series from the producers of 90 Day Fiance.

WBD’s head of content, Kathleen Finch, and Max’s content boss, Casey Bloys, emphasized that family and children’s content will also take center stage on the new service, with an aim at audiences of all ages. Viewers will get more animation and entertainment releases from popular brands like Cartoon Network, Hanna-Barbera, Boomerang, Looney Toons and DC. This includes a new animated version of Peter & the Wolf from U2’s Bono.

Subscribers can also expect films to find Max as their streaming home after their theatrical runs. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will arrive on launch day, and Blue Beetle, Dune 2, Barbie, and The Flash are among the other movie titles you’ll find on the platform. The Flash will hit Max in the fall.

illustration of a boy facing a wolf — A new take on Peter & the Wolf is coming to Max, courtesy of Bono.

Max, Warner Bros. Discovery

Is there a way to opt out of Discovery or HBO Max content?

No. But you can choose to have a standalone Discovery Plus subscription instead of subscribing to Max. While there won’t be a separate version for HBO Max and HBO-branded content, Warner Bros. Discovery says the updated app will have an interface that’s more tailored to a user’s personal tastes. It’ll also feature genre hubs and a new content navigation menu at the top of the screen to make it easier to find what you want.

According to the company’s global streaming boss, J.B. Perrette, Max will «have differentiated and high-performing personalized experiences including elements such as ‘Because You Watched’ recommendations, and immersive hero images tailored for each user.» He indicated that the app’s recommendation engine will eventually learn to surface content that matches your viewing habits.

Should I cancel my current HBO Max or Discovery Plus subscription if I have both?

There’s no need to cancel your subscriptions right now unless you’re no longer enjoying them. All existing HBO Max subscribers will transition to Max when the app relaunches in May. Max will include Discovery Plus content, but Discovery Plus will also remain a separate, lower-priced streaming option that has content only from Discovery networks. If you like Max’s fully merged lineup, then you may want to wait and drop Discovery Plus in May.

What if I get HBO or HBO Max through cable?

If you currently receive HBO Max or HBO through a mobile carrier or your cable/satellite TV provider, you’ll have access to the updated Max app. You won’t have to cancel and resubscribe. Upon launch, it’ll be available through AT&T, Hulu, Cox, Xfinity, Verizon, DirecTV, Prime Video channels and other services. You can view the list on the Max website. Max will be accessible on most devices, including TVs, gaming consoles and mobile phones.

If you’re new to Max or Discovery Plus, you can sign up now or wait until May 23.

To learn more about WBD’s streaming services, read up on its strategy for live sports and which channels are on Discovery Plus.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 24, #713

Hints and answers for Connections for May 24, #713.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle has a fun variety of categories. The purple one appeals to my English major heart. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Goo-goo.

Green group hint: Not shirts.

Blue group hint: City that never sleeps.

Purple group hint: Acclaimed writers.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Baby gear.

Green group: Kinds of pants minus «s.»

Blue group: New York sports team members.

Purple group: Black women authors.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is baby gear. The four answers are bib, bottle, monitor and stroller.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is kinds of pants minus «s.» The four answers are capri, jean, jogger and slack.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is New York sports team members. The four answers are Jet, Met, Net and Ranger.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is black women authors. The four answers are Butler, Gay, Hooks and Walker.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, May 20

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 20.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is a fun one, and now I’m singing the song from 1-Across in my head. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: «Pink ___ Club» (Chappell Roan hit)
Answer: PONY

5A clue: Instrument that might be made with a comb and wax paper
Answer: KAZOO

6A clue: How bedtime stories are often read
Answer: ALOUD

7A clue: On edge
Answer: TENSE

8A clue: Short Instagram video
Answer: REEL

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Less colorful
Answer: PALER

2D clue: Layer of the upper atmosphere
Answer: OZONE

3D clue: Totally pointless
Answer: NOUSE

4D clue: Hit a high note in a high place, perhaps
Answer: YODEL

5D clue: Kit ___ bar
Answer: KAT

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Want to Speak to Dolphins? Researchers Won $100,000 AI Prize Studying Their Whistling

The scientists studied a bottlenose dolphin community in Sarasota, Florida, uncovering evidence of language-like communications.

If any dolphins are reading this: hello!

A team of scientists studying a community of Florida dolphins has been awarded the first $100,000 Coller Dolittle Challenge prize, set up to award research in interspecies communication algorithms.

The US-based team, led by Laela Sayigh of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, found that a type of whistle that dolphins employ is used as an alarm. Another whistle they studied is used by dolphins to respond to unexpected or unfamiliar situations. The team used non-invasive hydrophones to perform the research, which provides evidence that dolphins may be using whistles like words, shared with multiple members of their communities.

Capturing the sounds is just the beginning. Researchers will use AI to continue deciphering the whistles to try to find more patterns.

«The main thing stopping us cracking the code of animal communication is a lack of data. Think of the 1 trillion words needed to train a large language model like ChatGPT. We don’t have anything like this for other animals,» said Jonathan Birch, a professor at the London School of Economics and Politics and one of the judges for the prize.

«That’s why we need programs like the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, which has built up an extraordinary library of dolphin whistles over 40 years. The cumulative result of all that work is that Laela Sayigh and her team can now use deep learning to analyse the whistles and perhaps, one day, crack the code,» he said.

The award was part of a ceremony honoring the work of four teams from across the world. In addition to the dolphin project, researchers studied ways in which nightingales, marmoset monkeys and cuttlefish communicate.

The challenge is a collaboration between the Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University. Submissions for next year open up in August.

Dolphins are just the beginning

Researching animals and trying to learn the secrets of their communication is nothing new; but AI is speeding up the creation of larger and lager datasets.

«Breakthroughs are inevitable,» says Kate Zacarian, CEO and co-founder of Earth Species Project, a California-based nonprofit that also works in breaking down language barriers with the animal world.

«Just as AI has revolutionized the fields of medicine and material science, we see a similar opportunity to bring those advances to the study of animal communication and empower researchers in this space with entirely new capabilities,» Zacarian said.

Zacarian applauded Sayigh’s team and their win and said it will help bring broader recognition to the study of non-human animal communication. It could also bring more attention to ways that AI can change the nature of this type of research.
«The AI systems aren’t just faster — they allow for entirely new types of inquiry,» she said. «We’re moving from decoding isolated signals to exploring communication as a rich, dynamic, and structure phenomenon — whish is a task that’s simply too big for our human brains, but possible for large-scale AI models.»

Earth Species recently released an open-source large audio language model for analyzing animal sounds called NatureLM-audio. The organization is currently working with biologists and ethologists to study species including carrion crows, orcas, jumping spiders and others and plans to release some of their findings later this year, Zacarian said.